Scholarships

Each year, the Department of Theatre awards over $45,000 in tuition scholarships to its majors – including nearly $23,000 to first year students. 

In order to be eligible for these scholarships, you’ll need to fill out the university scholarship application before the February 15 deadline. 

If you are a current student applying for Department of Theatre scholarships, you’ll be required to submit an essay, and email an updated resume and list of productions to the department. For more information on applying for scholarships as a current student, see this document.

If you are a new student applying for Department of Theatre scholarships, you’ll be required to participate in our annual Scholarship Day, which is held virtually. More information about Scholarship Day can be found below. 

 

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Applying for scholarships as a new student

Our annual Scholarship Day – held virtually – provides incoming students with an opportunity to meet and interview with theatre faculty, and to showcase their talents through performance auditions and/or portfolio presentations. Students interested in theatre education may apply with an interview, letters of recommendation and submissions of written work. 

Students will be asked to:

  • Provide recorded auditions or samples of work by January 26, 2024
  • Interview with faculty on February 6, 2024

Don’t miss Scholarship Day on February 6, 2024!

Scholarships – Eligibility and Application Process

To be eligible for scholarship consideration, a first year student should:

  • Plan to be admitted to UNI by April, 2023 (contact the UNI Admissions Office for information and forms).
  • Intend to declare a theatre major.
  • Hold a "B" average or be in the upper one-third of the class at the time of application.
  • Transfer students with a 3.0 GPA and an established record of participation in theatre activities are also encouraged to apply.

To apply for a UNI Department of Theatre scholarship:

  • Complete the online application (submit by clicking on link below.)
  • Provide a current photo and a resume which includes theatre training and production experience.
  • Provide a high school transcript containing academic information including GPA, class rank, core units taken and ACT scores.
  • Have two letters of recommendation sent by high school or community college teachers or directors stating why you are a good candidate for this scholarship. These must be on school letterhead and signed by the authors.

Audition and Interview Requirements

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Actors

Prepare two memorized two-minute contrasting monologues. Monologues should be one character speaking from a play. Please do not use a prose piece, or anything from film or television. Please include an introduction that identifies the character and the play (for example: Emily from Our Town). Time Limits will be enforced.

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Designers/Technicians

Students interested in design and production should provide either a video recording of you presenting samples of your work OR an annotated slide presentation with images by January 26. The time limit for recorded presentations is 4 minutes. Annotated slide presentations should contain between 10 and 25 images.

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Theatre Education

Students interested in theatre education should provide letters of recommendation and submissions of written work. Examples of materials include: lesson plan outlines, workshop outlines, summary descriptions of work supporting youth [younger than high school] in theatre learning environments; production work specific to youth theatre.

 

Materials are due no later than January 26, 2024

Email materials as Word attachments to susan.connor@uni.edu or mail to Scholarship Auditions, Department of Theatre, CAC 257, UNI, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0371.

All candidates will be contacted by email with a specific audition/interview time.

Scholarships for Current Students